Thunderstorms Can Bring Rainbows
by BlackthornUnicorn98
Summary: Hermione Granger's parents and younger sister are dead at the hands of the Death Eaters, and she's lost everything, including her home. She sits in the Forbidden Forest day after day, slowly wasting away and being consumed by grief. Until a certain blonde Slytherin wanders in by chance, and she realizes that sometimes, thunderstorms can bring rainbows. Brief Dramione one-shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story, other than Alecia Granger. I made her up. The rest belong to J.K. Rowling, of course. **

My legs dangled from the groove in the tree branch, hanging limply, numbly, swinging back and forth. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the branch shake under my movements. The bark scratched against the material of my skirt, and I was nearly certain that the dark fabric would rip if I kept moving around. At that moment, though, I didn't care.

The wind whistled overhead, singing a song of warning, a song of despair. The rush lifted my unruly brown curls into the air and cooled my face; not that it needed cooling, mind you. It had been steadily growing colder all day, a sure sign to me that a storm was well on the way. I'd lost track of the hours that I'd spent there that day, sitting up in the tree alone. It had been so long, though, that I couldn't help but feel as if I'd been there a whole season. Perched like a robin in its nest, I'd been. For many days now.

Oh, sure, I'd go to the castle sometimes. I would attend my classes whenever I possibly could. Even despite everything that had transpired, I still cared a great deal about my education. I still cared about passing my O.W.L.s at the end of the term. I still tried to keep in fairly good standing with my professors; McGonagall already knew of the events of recent weeks, and she had granted me more leniency than I thought I deserved. Others, however, such as Professor Snape, were far less forgiving and tolerated nothing of the sort. I'm certain that it didn't matter to him that I'd slowly been deteriorating over the past couple of weeks, losing my will to live. He accepted no excuses, so I decidedly gave him none. There was no point.

But the Headmaster had been the most gracious to me of all. He'd spoken to many of my other teachers on my behalf, though I had initially begged him not to. I was afraid that they'd think of me as a simpleton and a liability. Instead, they showed me mercy, and the smallest bit of weight was lifted off of my shoulders.

I suppose the real reason, though, behind Dumbledore's extra kindness toward me was geared toward the fact that he'd been the one to deliver me the letter in the first place, placing a burden on his shoulders as well as mine. The letter that, in just a few short words, had turned my world upside down and promptly set it on fire before my very eyes.

My father had gone first. He went out fighting, I assumed that to be true. I knew my father well enough to know that he'd likely tried to protect my mother and my sister over himself. He would have guarded them with his life. My father had always been a noble man, willing to do whatever was needed or take whatever risks necessary to ensure that his family and the people close to him were safe. He was a Muggle, though, and as I also knew, Muggles stood no chance at all against the Death Eaters.

My mother was next. Thank goodness, she had not witnessed my father's destruction firsthand, but she _had_ tried to escape. Her efforts were all in vain. She'd been violently pushed, and had fallen through the upstairs window, trying to escape the Death Eater that they called Yaxley. And when my sister had tried to save her, she'd been promptly hit with the Killing Curse and fallen limply to the floor, dead.

Her death was the hardest for me to stomach. Alecia was a child, only ten years old; she had nearly reached the age that I was when I found out that magical blood surged through my veins. I'd always hoped that she possessed the same talents as I did, and neither of us could wait to find out. We would talk for hours about what it would be like to have magical powers. At that point, I hadn't gained complete control over mine yet, but I would tell her stories about the adventures that Harry, Ron and I had over the years, and she would always get excited and wish that she was a witch just like me. Now I was being forced to come face-to-face the cruel reality that I would never know what Alecia truly was, or be able to share the rest of my knowledge of the wizarding world with her. It had made my heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

The house itself was irrecoverable. After the damage was done, something had set the entire estate aflame; whether it was by the hand of an attacker or by sheer happenstance, I did not know. And there was no quelling it from the moment it started. The blaze had consumed the whole house, leaving it a burned shell of smoke, ashes, rubble and ruin. Many of my belongings from my childhood had been safely stored there, but they had disintegrated along with everything else in the house. Picturing it in my mind was oddly calming; there was nothing further that I could do, so it would have been pointless for me to react or do anything at all.

I shivered against the harsh bite of the wind, snapping out of my melancholy thoughts, but I still refused to leave my tree. The Forest had become my sanctuary since I'd received the letter. I had made a habit out of venturing there, only to be alone, and to make sure that nobody could find me; so far, it had worked quite well. Dumbledore made it clear at the start of every term that the Forbidden Forest was just that: forbidden. Not even the staff ventured out into the Forest on a regular basis; only the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid, was daring enough to make those trips. But even he wasn't as frequent of a visitor as I'd been during the past two weeks.

My teeth began to chatter, and as I readjusted myself on my branch, there came a drop of cold water on my forehead. I looked up at the darkening sky, feeling several more tiny droplets landing on my face, and frowned. Sure enough, a storm was on its way, as I'd suspected. As the minutes passed me by, the drops grew heavier and heavier, not to mention much more numerous, until they had transitioned into a torrential, almost violent shower of rain cascading down from the heavens. The liquid dripped down my face and completely soaked me from head to toe, but I couldn't have cared less. I had begun to feel numb from the cold long before the rain began, and it didn't phase me at all. I sat there, motionless, as the salty raindrops stung my unblinking eyes.

I continued to sit there, staring off into the distance, when a loud voice from afar caught my attention. It sounded like a boy, but I couldn't be sure...the scream was quite feminine indeed. The voice then began to speak in an irritated tone, and I confirmed that it was, in fact, a male who was talking. He seemed to be getting closer and closer, and panic began to set in. I hadn't wanted anyone to find me out here, and I'd done fine so far...now, it was ruined. I refused to let anyone see me, and promptly jumped out of the tree. My ankle began to ache and throb the moment I hit the ground, but I ignored the searing pain and ran off, concealing myself behind a large willow tree nearby.

Not a moment later, a small group of students came into my view, and I immediately recognized them all as Slytherins. Theodore Nott appeared to be the one who had yelled; he was groaning and griping and messing with his shaggy hair, which was now dripping wet from the rain. I suspected that was why he was so upset. Soon after, I noticed that Vincent Crabbe was trying to console him, while Draco Malfoy ambled on, seeming very irritated by his two housemates.

My resolve grew stronger, and I began to step back. No way in hell was I letting them see me now. Never. Granted, I wouldn't have wanted _anyone_ to spot me there, but especially not that particular group of boys; I didn't really feel like being taunted and teased at that moment in time.

As I carefully backed away, my left foot caught on a drury root that happened to be sticking up out of the ground, and I tumbled backward, landing hard on my tailbone. A sharp jolt of pain went straight up my back, and a yelp escaped my lips before I could stop it. The pain was nearly blinding, but I scrambled to my feet anyway, with wet leaves and dirt stubbornly sticking to my clothes, before I heard a shout, presumably from Nott. "Oi! Look! It's that Granger girl!"

All three of the Slytherins' eyes fell on me, and I growled. "Shove off, dunderheads!"

"That's no way to speak to us, Mudblood!" Crabbe shouted angrily.

Malfoy crossed his arms. "What are you even doing out here, freak?" he hollered.

I scowled at them. "None of your damned concern, Malfoy! Now all of you, leave me alone!" I began to run off in the opposite direction, feeling like a coward and wincing at the pain in my ankle.

"Come on, mates!" I heard Nott shout. "Let's get her! See what she's hiding!"

The second he said those words, they began to run. And I still thank my lucky stars to this day that I was a fast, skilled runner at that time; every one of those boys were struggling to keep up with me, be it because of the rain, the slippery leaves, or any other factor. Regardless, I easily sprinted ahead of them, breathing hard and trying to ignore the aching in my chest and the burning sensation in my legs. I'd had no energy at all before the chase began, and I knew that if I didn't find refuge soon, my entire body was going to give out.

As I ran, my eyes fell upon another tall willow tree with branches that looked easy enough to climb. An idea forming in my befuddled mind, I curled my arms around the trunk of the tree and began to clamber up, gripping the bark with every ounce of strength that I had left By the time I was several yards up, the trio of Slytherins had reached the bottom. Nott immediately started to climb up after me, and I willed my gaze to stay focused on the branches above that signalled safety, not the potential threat of the boys below. I could hear him struggling as he tried to scale the tree, but I couldn't stop myself from grinning when I heard him hit the forest floor.

"Damn it!" he screeched. "Crabbe, you do it! Go on, mate. Go get that witch!"

I glanced down, humorously seeing no possible way for Crabbe to reach me, and continued to climb. Sure enough, after a few seconds, his arms gave way, and he too landed on the ground, moaning in pain. "That bitch!"

I noticed Nott glance at Malfoy, and heard his words. "Malfoy, you do it. Get that jumped-up Mudblood, would you?"

His words nearly sent me into a panic again. I knew very well that Draco Malfoy was an experienced climber, and he could easily catch up to me if he tried. I stared in horror as he gripped the trunk of the tree and began to climb, noticeably much faster and easier than his friends.

In my panic, I scampered even higher into the tree, hoisting myself up through the branches as quickly as possible. I was scared that Malfoy was going to catch me, jostle me, and maybe push me off or something. But to my dismay, the higher I climbed, the thinner the branches became. I knew I would have to to stop at some point, or else a branch might snap under my weight and I'd plummet to my death.

In the next few moments, it became abundantly clear to me that if I were to go any higher, there wouldn't be a single branch that would be able to hold my weight. Eventually, I stopped, lodging myself in a groove in the trunk of the tree and hanging onto an adjoining branch for dear life. I looked down, noting that Crabbe and Nott looked like ants from how high up I was. It did frighten me a bit, I'll admit.

I heard a crackling below, and Malfoy's irritated voice. "God, Granger, I thought you'd never stop!"

His face came into view as he wrapped his arms around the same branch that I had, and I willed myself to fight back the urge to kick him in his stupid ferret face. "What part of 'leave me alone' don't you lunatics understand?!" I shouted angrily.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now _we're_ the lunatics, are we?"

"Yes. You are."

"Then what are you doing out here, sitting in the rain and sulking by yourself, Mudblood?"

I flinched; no matter how many times I'd heard it before, I absolutely _hate_d it when he called me that. "Like I said, it's none of your concern. Now, leave me be, or I swear I'll kick your arse right out of this tree."

He shook his head. "Granger, I wouldn't do that."

"And why not?!" I demanded.

Malfoy smirked. "Because I'll kick you right back."

I curled my knees up to my chest to make certain that he wouldn't be able to reach me. "I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual, Granger," Malfoy replied. "But, as a matter of interest to me, what exactly are you doing out here, all by your lonesome? I really do want to know."

A sudden rumble of thunder overhead practically shook the tree, and I shuddered. "I needed some alone time."

Malfoy eyed me suspiciously. "I see. And is this a common occurrence?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. You wouldn't understand."

He hoisted himself up onto the branch beside me. "Try me, Granger."

"No," I grumbled stubbornly, refusing to look him in the eyes.

"I'll push you," he threatened. "I swear, I'll push you right off."

And before I could stop myself, the fateful words flew out of my mouth. "Do it. Not like I have any reason to be here any longer, anyway."

A concerned look settled over his features, and I mentally smacked myself for not thinking before I spoke. His grey eyes softened. "Granger, don't say things like that."

"Why not?!" I shouted. "If you knew half the fodder I've been through, you might not be feeling so happy, either."

He sighed. "Do you...I mean, do you want to talk about it?"

His words caught me off guard. "Why would you want to talk with someone like me about my problems?" I demanded. "It's not like we're friends or anything."

"No. We're not," he replied curtly. "But speaking as someone who's been through some pretty bad stuff in my own life, I know it's not good to bottle it up."

I lowered my head, avoiding his gaze and staring down at the wet branches below. "I don't know. I guess I don't exactly feel comfortable telling my biggest secret to the one boy who hates everything there is to hate about me. But that's just how I feel."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Alright, Granger, here's the deal. If you tell me what's going on with you, I'll tell you a secret about myself that no one else knows."

Though I didn't want to show it, his words did intrigue me. "Fine. You're on."

"Good," he replied. "Now tell me. What happened?"

I sighed, bracing myself to say the words aloud for the first time. "My parents are dead. My sister is dead. Everything I own is gone, and my home has been burned to the ground. There. Happy?"

The startled look in Malfoy's eyes immediately conveyed to me that he had _not_ expected those words to come out of my mouth. After a moment of awe, he spoke. "What...what was it? Who would do that?"

"Death Eaters," I said bluntly. "Death Eaters would do that. They took everything I had, and now I've got nothing. Nobody left."

He frowned. "You've got Potter and Weasley, don't you? Your roommates? That weird Lovegood girl?"

"She is _not_ weird!" I protested. "She's just...alright, fine. She's a little bit weird. But none of them know about it, not yet. And I don't know how to even bring it up."

"They're your best friends," Malfoy protested. "You have to tell them what's going on."

"I don't have to do anything," I shot back. "And besides, I'm fine."

Malfoy shook his head. "Granger, you've barely been eating."

I shrugged. "So what? And why do you even care? Why don't you answer me that?"

"Well, I don't want you to _die_, if that's what you mean," he replied.

A wet clump of hair flopped into my eyes, and I carelessly pushed it away. "That's nice to hear, Malfoy. Very encouraging. Now, can we please be done here?"

To my surprise, Malfoy placed his hand gently over mine. It was surprisingly warm to the touch; my scattered mind urged me to pull away, but for whatever reason, my body didn't bother to listen. "Granger, look at me. I've been through rough times before, too," he said, ignoring the yells of his confused housemates from the ground far below. "I've lost people in my own life and experienced awful things, and I'll be the first to admit that my coping mechanisms aren't the best. But you're achieving nothing by sitting out here by yourself in the cold, letting your body deteriorate and your mind descend into madness. It's not healthy, and you know that. I know you do."

"I don't care," I muttered.

"You should care," Malfoy murmured, his tone less sharp than before. "There are people here who need you, Granger. Potter and Weasley, they'd be lost without you, I'm sure. You have a whole other family here. Don't leave them behind like this."

I sniffed, and looked up into his eyes. He was staring at me with a look that I'd never seen before; it was a look of genuine concern, a look that told me he wasn't even going to think of leaving until he made certain that I was going to be okay. I couldn't guarantee that I would be, but something about the way that Malfoy imploringly stared at me made me want to try. At least a little bit.

"Alright. I won't."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the Slytherin's pale lips, and he gave my soaking wet hand a comforting squeeze. "Glad to hear it, Granger. Now, why don't you come on down? You know that if we get caught out here, we're both in huge trouble."

I smirked. "You go on. I want to stay out here a bit longer."

He gave me a hesitant look. "Alright, but you have to swear to me that you'll be at dinner within the hour. You need to eat."

"I swear I'll be there," I replied.

He grinned. "Good."

As he began to descend down the trunk of the tree, using the branches as much-needed support, I gasped and grabbed him by the arm. "Wait! You promised me a secret, ferret."

His cheeks turned slightly pink. "Oh, I can't. I really need to go, you know. Homework and prefect duties and all that."

"Malfoy. You promised me a secret, and I'm not letting you go until I hear a secret," I said firmly.

He sighed. "Fine. But you have to swear not to tell anyone. Or I'll hunt you down and kick your arse all the way to Beauxbatons."

"No thank you," I replied, wincing at the idea of the prestigious school filled with stuck-up girls and disgustingly formal uniforms. "I promise I won't tell."

"Okay," Malfoy mumbled. "Fine. I….I'm terrified of someone here. A professor, actually. They scare me more than anyone else."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So who is it, then?" I asked. "Is it Professor Snape? Madam Hooch? Professor Sprout? I mean, I know she's a pretty nice woman to our faces, but underneath it all-"

"No," Malfoy interrupted. "It's...Professor McGonagall."

My breath caught in my throat, and before I could stop myself, I let out a giggle. "You've got to be joking!" I exclaimed. "McGonagall? Really?"

He nodded, clearly embarrassed. "She truly terrifies me."

"I really can't imagine why," I sniggered. "She's a wonderful professor and an exceedingly kind woman, once you get to know her a bit."

Malfoy fixed a steely gaze on me. "You swore not to tell."

"I won't tell," I reassured him. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to hold it over you."

He rolled his eyes, but I spied the tiniest of smiles etched across his transparent lips. "I would expect nothing less of you, Granger. Now, I must be off. See you soon."

Without another word, he let go of my hand and slid down the trunk of the tree, hopping from branch to branch and eventually landing on the ground. I saw him talking to his friends before ushering them away from the tree; they were clearly confused, but obediently followed him anyway. I watched as the three boys skulked away, pushing through the trees and eventually disappearing from sight.

A feeling of pure, comforting warmth began to build up deep inside of me, and I placed my hand over my heart. Something about the way that Malfoy had spoken to me had substantially calmed my nerves, and I didn't feel nearly as horrid as I had before. Holding onto the tree branch for support, I stood up and looked out over the rest of the trees in the Forest. There was a large, gaping hole in the canopy, and I saw the reflection of a faint rainbow, radiating through the clouds that were slowly beginning to move away. The world around me seemed just a little bit brighter than before, and I let one last thought slip into my mind before I started to climb down, eager to follow him to dinner.

Maybe Draco Malfoy isn't as bad as I thought.

**(A/N: Gah. I'm sorry if this one sucked. I actually wrote this in about an hour, as a prompt for my Creative Writing class this week, and I suddenly felt the urge to post it. Feel free to tell me what you think, but this is certainly not one that's going to be continued...it's just a one-shot. Happy reading! ~BlackthornUnicorn98)**


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